Disposable manual waste collection containment

ABSTRACT

A disposable manual waste collection containment is in the form of a glove made of an un-tearable and air and moisture tight material. The glove is provided with a sealing assembly in the form of a re-sealable zipper secured to the sleeve portion of the glove near its opening. The zipper is secured to the outside surface of the glove and allows for selectively sealing the opening when the glove is turned inside out. The palm side of the hand portion of the glove is optionally provided with padding means allowing isolating the hand of the user from adverse feeling while manipulating waste material.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to material collection. Morespecifically, the present invention is concerned, with disposable manualwaste collection containment suitable for picking up, for example,animal excrements.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0002] Collection of pet waste has always been an unpleasant task. A petowner will typically use an old plastic bag wore as a rude glove to pickup the pet solid excrements before turning the bag inside out whilestill handling the excrements, until its in the bag and the handoutside. Then the pet owner typically closes the bag with a knot toprevent spillage and decrease the foul odors.

[0003] A first drawback of such conventional method is that the bag usedfor the operation is often oversized for the task, which restrictsmovement of the fingers, thumb and hand in collecting the material.Moreover, since conventional plastic bags do not include any closingmeans, there is no easy and reliable way to seal the bag aftercollection.

[0004] Dedicated devices are of course known to help the pet owner inretrieving the waste material. One of such device is described U.S. Pat.No. 5,438,708 issued to Jacovitz on Aug. 8, 1995 and untitled “ManualWaste Collection Containment, and Disposal Device”. Jacovitz discloses aglove and an oversized collection pad attached by fasteners forcollecting and disposing of waste materials. A major drawback ofJacovitz device is that it is complicated and therefore expensive tomanufacture. Another drawback of Jacovitz device is that the padrestricts the movement of the hand.

[0005] Dooley teaches another glove device dedicated for hand collectingwaste material in U.S. Pat. No. 6,511,111 issued on Jan. 28, 2003 anduntitled “Pet Waste Collection and Disposal Glove”. Dooley solves theabove-mentioned problem of hand movement. Dooley device includes a pairof ties provided at the end of the glove to allow closing of the gloveafter collection of the waste material. However, the proposed closingmeans does not allow sealing of the glove after use. This can be seen asa drawback when the glove is used to retrieve waste material that is wetor semi-liquid and that can leak trough the closed opening.

[0006] Improved waste collection containment is thus desirable.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0007] An object of the present invention is therefore to provide animproved disposable manual waste collection containment.

[0008] Another object of the invention is to provide a sealabledisposable manual waste collection containment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] More specifically, in accordance with a first aspect of thepresent invention, there is provided a disposable manual collectioncontainment comprising:

[0010] a glove member for enclosing a hand; the glove member havingopposite outside and inside surfaces both extending from a freeproximate end defining an opening to a closed distal end; and

[0011] a sealing assembly secured to the glove member near the proximateend to allow the opening to be sealed when the glove member is turnedinside out.

[0012] According to a second aspect of the present invention, there isprovided a disposable glove for collecting material comprising:

[0013] a hand portion for enclosing the hand of a user; the hand portionextending from an open end to at least one finger receiving compartment;the at least one finger receiving compartment generally defining aclosed end of the hand portion;

[0014] the improvement consisting of a sealing assembly secured to thehand portion near the open end thereof for selectively sealing the openend when the glove member is turned inside out.

[0015] The sealing assembly may be in the form of a re-sealable zipper,an adhesive strip, or the like.

[0016] The glove may be optionally provided with padding means allowingisolating the hand of the user from adverse feeling while manipulatingwaste material.

[0017] The sealing assembly according to the present invention allows toprevent leakage of odors and/or of waste material collected in thecontainment.

[0018] A containment according to the present invention is particularlysuitable for collecting material that can stain and/or that also needs acontainment for storage and carrying.

[0019] Other objects, advantages and features of the present inventionwill become more apparent upon reading the following non restrictivedescription of preferred embodiments thereof, given by way of exampleonly with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In the appended drawings:

[0021]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a disposable manual wastecollection containment glove according to a first illustrativeembodiment of the present invention;

[0022]FIGS. 2A-2C are perspective view of the containment glove of FIG.1, illustrating the operation thereof;

[0023]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a disposable manual wastecollection containment glove according to a second illustrativeembodiment of the present invention;

[0024]FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a disposable manual wastecollection containment glove according to a third illustrativeembodiment of the present invention;

[0025]FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the disposable manual wastecollection containment from FIG. 4;

[0026]FIG. 6 is a cross section taken along line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

[0027]FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a disposable manual wastecollection containment glove according to a fourth illustrativeembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Turning now to FIG. 1 of the appended drawings, a disposablemanual waste collection containment 10 according to a first illustrativeembodiment of the present invention is illustrated.

[0029] The containment 10 is in the form of a glove member made of alightweight inexpensive material and configured and sized so as to allowenclosing of a hand. The material is chosen so as to be un-tearable andair and moisture tight. Suitable materials include, for example,polymerized materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinylchloride.

[0030] The glove member may be made sufficiently oversized so as toallow a hand wearing a first layer of conventional glove to beaccommodated therein. The first layer of glove may be made, for example,of cotton or from another material so as to allow isolating the hand 31of a user from the fierce sensation of the hand closing onto excrementor onto other waste materials.

[0031] Even though it may be advantageous in some applications to use atranslucent material for the glove member 10, so as to allow inspectionof waste materials carried by the glove member 10 as will be explainedhereinbelow, an opaque material can also be used.

[0032] The glove member 10 includes integral hand and sleeve portions12-14. The proximate end of the glove member 10 consists in the free end16 of the sleeve portion 14, which defines an opening 18 of the glovemember 10. The hand portion 12 includes finger-receiving compartments22, defining a closed end of the glove member 10. Of course the lengthof the sleeve portion may vary.

[0033] Even though the glove member 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 comprisesfive (5) finger-receiving compartments 22, one for each finger of thehand, it can include any number of finger receiving compartments; aglove member including for example a single finger-receiving compartmentdefining a mitt.

[0034] The glove member 10 has opposite outside and inside surfaces24-26.

[0035] The glove member 10 further comprises a re-sealable zipper 28secured to sleeve portion 14 near the proximate end 16 of the glovemember 10 and defining a sealing assembly.

[0036] More specifically, the re-sealable zipper 28 includes oppositecooperating female and male strip members 30-32 secured to the outsidesurface 24 of the glove member 10, and allowing for selectively sealingthe opening 18 when the glove member 10 is turned inside out as will beexplained furthering. An example of zipper 28 is commercialized underthe “ziplock” trademark.

[0037] Alternatively, the re-sealable zipper may be of the type thatcannot be opened after sealing.

[0038] Turning now to FIGS. 1, and 2A to 2D, the operation of thedisposable manual waste collection containment 10 will now be described.As can be seen in FIG. 1, a user first inserts a hand 31 into the glove10 so that the sealing assembly 28 is located outside the sleeve portion12 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0039] As can be seen in FIG. 2A, the user can then pick up excrements33 or any waste material by closing the hand, protected by the glovemember 10, onto the excrement 33.

[0040] The user, still closing a hand 31 onto the waste material 33 thenuses the other hand 34 to remove the glove 10 while reversing it upsidedown as illustrated in FIG. 2B.

[0041] Once the glove 10 is removed (FIG. 2C), the waste material isenclosed in the glove member 10 then acting as a bag. The user then usesthe sealing assembly 28, which is at this step located on the insidesurface 18 of the glove 10, to seal the opening and prevent leakage ofodors and/or of waste material.

[0042] The male and female members 30-32 of the zipper 28 may be ofdifferent colors, allowing to better verify the seal after closing thezipper 28 as it is commonly known in the art.

[0043] A disposable manual waste collection containment 100 according toa second illustrative embodiment of the present invention will now bedescribed with reference to FIG. 3. Since the containment 100 is verysimilar to the containment 10 described hereinabove, and for concisionpurposes, only the difference between these two embodiments will bedescribed.

[0044] According to the second illustrative embodiment, the sealingassembly of the containment 100 is in the form of a reusable ornon-reusable adhesive strip assembly 102, including a strip of adhesive104 secured to the outside surface 24 of the glove member 100 and apeelable strip 106 removably adhered to the adhesive strip 104. Thestrip assembly 102 allows for selectively sealing the opening 18 whenthe glove member 100 is turned inside out. Indeed, the user simply hasto remove a peelable strip 105 to expose the adhesive strip once thewaste material is picked-up and the glove member 100 is turned insideout. Since such adhesive strip assemblies are believed to be well knownin the art, they will not be described herein in more detail.

[0045] Even though the adhesive strip assembly 102 is illustrated inFIG. 3 as a peripheral strip located near the opening 18, it can haveother configuration and position without departing from the spirit andnature of the present invention. For example, the adhesive strip may beprovided on only half the periphery of the inside surface 26 and anadditional foldable tab (not shown) of material may be provided on theopposite side of the inside surface 26 so as to allow sealing of theopening 18 by folding the tab onto the adhesive strip after the glovemember 100 is turned inside out, similarly to securing the flap of anenvelope.

[0046] A disposable manual waste collection containment 200 according toa third illustrative embodiment of the present invention will now bedescribed with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. Since the containment 200 isvery similar to the containment 10 described hereinabove, and forconcision purposes, only the difference between these two embodimentswill be described.

[0047] The containment 200 is still in the general shape of a glove butis further provided with padding means 202 on the palm side of the handportion 12. As can be better seen in FIG. 6, the padding means 20 is inthe form of a padding layer of a polymeric material that includes airbubbles 204. An example of such material is commercialized under theBubble Wrap™ trademarks. The padding layer is advantageously securedonto the outside surface 24 of the glove member 200, but can also besecured onto the inner surface 26. Alternatively, the air bubbles 24 canbe incorporated directly in the glove material.

[0048] The padding means 202 allows isolating the hand 31 of a user fromthe fierce sensation of the hand 31 closing onto excrement or onto otherwaste materials. The padding means 202 also allow to isolate the hand 31of the user from feeling the difference of temperature caused by thewaste material and that contributes to the adverse sensation.

[0049] Optionally, padding means may be provided on other portions ofthe glove 200.

[0050] The padding means 202 may also take the form of an additionallayer of material of sufficient thickness to allow isolating the hand 31of a user from adverse sensation.

[0051] Also, even though this third embodiment is illustrated as a righthand glove, the padding means may be positioned on the other side of theopening 18 so as to be suitable for a left hand.

[0052] Alternatively, padding means may be provided on both sides of theopening 18 so that the glove 200 is adapted for both right andleft-handed users.

[0053] A disposable manual waste collection containment glove 300according to a fourth illustrative embodiment of the present inventionis illustrated in FIG. 7. Since the glove 300 is very similar to theglove 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, and for concision purposes, only thedifference between the glove 300 and the glove 10 will be describedherein.

[0054] The glove 300 further includes means 302 for securing thecontainment to the wrist of the user, his clothes, to an animal leash orthe like (not shown).

[0055] The securing means is in the form of a loop made-of glovematerial attached to the containment 300 or integral thereto. Thesecuring means 302 may also be used as a handle helping removing theglove 300.

[0056] To ease the removal and the handling of the glove 300 using theloop 302, the loop 302 is secured to the inside surface 26 of the glove300.

[0057] Even though the loop 302 is illustrated in FIG. 7 positionedbetween the sealing means 28 and the hand portion 12, it can be securedto other portions of the glove 300 on the inside surface 26 thereof.When the loop 302 is only intended to be used as a means to ease theremoval of the glove 300, it can be secured to glove 300 so as to extendfrom the outside surface thereof.

[0058] Even though a glove according to the present invention has beendescribed as a disposable manual waste collection containment, it canalso be used in other applications where a person has to collectmaterial that can stain and/or that also needs a containment for thematerial for storage and carrying. An example of such an application isin food markets where a glove according to the present invention can beused for handling and choosing in bulk food such as fruits.

[0059] Disposable manual waste collection containments according to thepresent invention may be manufacture in different size to accommodateusers having different size of hands.

[0060] Although the present invention has been described hereinabove byway of preferred embodiments thereof, it can be modified withoutdeparting from the spirit and nature of the subject invention, asdefined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A disposable manual collection containmentcomprising: a glove member for enclosing a hand; said glove memberhaving opposite outside and inside surfaces both extending from a freeproximate end defining an opening to a closed distal end; and a sealingassembly secured to said glove member near said proximate end to allowsaid opening to be sealed when said glove member is turned inside out.2. A containment as recited in claim 1, wherein said sealing assembly isin the form of a re-sealable zipper secured to said outside surface ofsaid glove member.
 3. A containment as recited in claim 1, wherein saidsealing assembly includes opposite cooperating female and male stripmembers.
 4. A containment as recited in claim 3, wherein said male andfemale members are from different colors.
 5. A containment as recited inclaim 1, wherein said sealing assembly is in the form of an adhesivestrip assembly.
 6. A containment as recited in claim 5, wherein saidadhesive strip assembly includes a strip of adhesive secured to saidoutside surface, and a peelable strip removably adhered to said adhesivestrip.
 7. A containment as recited in claim 1, wherein said glove memberis made from a moisture tight material.
 8. A containment as recited inclaim 7, wherein said moisture tight material is also air tight.
 9. Acontainment as recited in claim 1, wherein said glove member is madefrom a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene,polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride.
 10. A containment as recited inclaim 1, further comprising padding means secured to said glove member.11. A containment as recited in claim 10, wherein said padding means isin the form of a layer of polymeric material.
 12. A containment asrecited in claim 10, wherein said padding means includes air bubbles.13. A containment as recited in claim 1, further comprising a loopsecured to the glove for handling the glove.
 14. A disposable glove forcollecting material comprising: a hand portion for enclosing the hand ofa user; said hand portion extending from an open end to at least onefinger receiving compartment; said at least one finger receivingcompartment generally defining a closed end of said hand portion; theimprovement consisting of a sealing assembly secured to said handportion near said open end thereof for selectively sealing said open endwhen said glove member is turned inside out.
 15. A glove as recited inclaim 14, wherein said sealing assembly is in the form of a re-sealablezipper secured onto an outside surface of said hand portion.
 16. A gloveas recited in claim 14, wherein said sealing assembly includes oppositecooperating female and male strip members.
 17. A glove as recited inclaim 16, wherein said male and female strip members are from differentcolors.
 18. A glove as recited in claim 14, wherein said sealingassembly is in the form of an adhesive strip assembly.
 19. A glove asrecited in claim 18, wherein said adhesive strip assembly includes astrip of adhesive secured to said outside surface, and a peelable stripremovably adhered to said adhesive strip.
 20. A glove as recited inclaim 18, wherein said adhesive strip assembly is provided on the insideperiphery of said hand portion.
 21. A glove as recited in claim 14,wherein said glove is made from a moisture tight material.
 22. A gloveas recited in claim 22, wherein said moisture tight material is also airtight.
 23. A glove as recited in claim 14, wherein said glove member ismade from a material selected from the group consisting of polyethylene,polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride.
 24. A glove as recited in claim14, including five finger-receiving compartments.
 25. A glove as recitedin claim 14, further comprising padding means secured to said handportion.
 26. A glove as recited in claim 25, wherein said padding meansis in the form of a layer of polymeric material.
 27. A glove as recitedin claim 25, wherein said padding means includes air bubbles.
 28. Aglove as recited in claim 14, further comprising a loop secured to theglove for handling the glove.
 29. The use of a glove as recited in claim14 for collecting waste material.
 30. The use of a glove as recited inclaim 14 for collecting food material.